


Catch Me If I Fall

by MsChievous



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Child Abuse, Gen, Injury, Poor Prompto Argentum, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-10
Packaged: 2021-03-02 05:07:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,454
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23579650
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsChievous/pseuds/MsChievous
Summary: Prompto tries to talk with his mother. It doesn't go well.At all.
Comments: 20
Kudos: 310





	Catch Me If I Fall

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Kaciart](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kaciart/gifts).



> Based off artwork from the lovely [Kaciart](https://kaciart.tumblr.com/). If she posts it on her Tumblr, I'll link it here as well!

“Don’t forget, if you’re going to the museum, I need your permission slips in by the end of the week at the absolute latest,” Their teacher claps her hands together. “If you need another slip, they’re here up front. You have the rest of class to work on your homework.”

Prompto sighs, crossing his arms on his desk and resting his head on top of them.

“You gonna go?” There’s a grating scape of chair leg over tile as Noctis scoots over to Prompto’s desk.

“Hope so,” The blond responds, “but my mom’s still on her trip. She was supposed to get back yesterday, but I haven’t heard from her. I talked with Ms. P and she said that my mom can call her, but, well… if she doesn’t call me, I doubt she’ll call my school.”

Crossing his arms over his chest, Noctis snorts. “That sucks dude. Hey, if you end up not able to go, I’ll sneak out to stay with you so we can at least be bored together.”

Prompto straightens. “You don’t have to. I’ll be fine on my own.”

“Yeah but I won’t,” the prince responds, leaning back in his chair. “Or maybe you can become a Crownsguard and then you’ll be a part of the state and technically speaking, my dad would be considered a guardian. According to the law. But I don’t think that’ll be able to happen in the next few days.”

“But I’ll keep that in mind for next time,” Prompto laughs.

* * *

On the walk home, Prompto workshops how to bring up the permission slip to his mom. Not too straightforward or he’s pressuring her, and not too obtuse or he’s beating around the bush. Open up with a simple ‘can I talk to you’, move onto something like, ‘there’s something I really want to do’ - no “really” is too strong, he doesn’t want to manipulate her into thinking that he’ll be disappointed if he can’t go... even if he really will.

Before he realizes it, he’s back at the family townhome and his mother’s car is parked in the driveway. 

Relief floods through his system and he bounds through the front door. “Hello?” he calls into the empty house. 

For a moment, there’s silence, but then he hears footsteps from upstairs. “What is it?” his mother snaps. 

He’s about to answer before he realizes how rude it is to yell at his mother and she would probably really appreciate him going to her, so he climbs the stairs quickly. “I- Can I talk to you?” His heart pounds in his chest, hoping,  _ praying _ that she won’t care enough to just sign the slip.

“Sounds like you’re already doing that,” she responds, pulling out an even larger suitcase from the closet. 

Prompto pauses for a minute, trying to decipher if that was a positive or negative, but decides it doesn’t really matter.

“There’s something going on at school, and I need a permission slip signed. I was wondering if you would be okay with me going to the museum?”

His mother stands up and walks towards him and for a moment, Prompto braces himself for the hit, but it doesn’t come. Instead, she brushes by him roughly. He stumbles back but catches himself on the opposite wall.

“Don’t be silly,” she scoffs, opening the linen closet and pulling out two towels. “Maybe if your grades were better, but the way things are now, you’d learn nothing.”

The words cut deep. She’s not wrong, but-

“I-I can learn a lot at a museum!” He insists, stepping close. He knows that’s the wrong move the second he does it, but it’s too late.

His mother’s arm lashes out and catches him across the chest hard. He stumbles back, looking for something to grab onto, but he’s in open air. There’s a brief moment of panic before pain crashes through his shoulder, across his back and ribs, cracking his head, before he stops in a heap at the landing of the stairs. 

He takes a moment to breathe through the pain, trying to get his bearings. 

“Now look what you made me do!” his mother huffs, moving back into her room.

The pain overwhelms him, greying his vision for who knows how long. When he finally blinks the haze away, he tries to shift to start to sit up, but immediately, he feels his arm try and tear itself from his body, and his head feels like its splitting apart. 

He manages to bite back a sob, steeling himself against the pain. A second attempt at sitting up has him realizing that this was a little more severe than he had anticipated. He opened his mouth to ask his mother for help but shuts it just as quickly. She’s busy. And it was his fault, he should be able to take care of himself-

The third attempt at sitting up leads to him passing out and in even more pain than before, though he’s not sure how that’s possible. With a sinking feeling, he realizes that he’s going to need help. His mother… his mother won’t help him, but maybe Noctis… He can feel the phone in his pocket, he just has to get it out.

He moves slowly,  _ way _ too slowly. His muscles and bones ache with each incremental movement. But after agonizing minutes of moving then pausing and breathing through the pain, he has his phone unlocked in his hand. He barely needs to look down to flip to Noctis’ number. But as the phone rings, he hears his mother’s door close and her footsteps near. 

Involuntarily, he jolts, and his phone slips from his limp fingers. He doesn’t even have the energy to try and grab at it again as it falls down a few steps, tantalizing but definitely out of reach.

“Prompto?” 

He barely hears his friend’s voice from the other side of the line, but before he can even try to make words, his mother’s stomping down the stairs and-

And the shoe crushes his phone beneath its weight. He’s breathless for a moment as he realizes his last lifeline is gone, just like that. 

“Make sure to clean that up. I’m headed back to Altissia, the trip got extended another two weeks and I didn’t have enough clothes. Your father should be back this Monday so you won’t need to buy any groceries, okay?”

Prompto blinks up his mother, trying to catch a solid breath when it felt like his ribs were on fire. “Y-yeah,” he manages.

“Oh, don’t give me that tone. I already told you it’s your fault. I can’t be bothered anymore, I don’t want to miss my flight.” And with that, she’s out the door again and he’s alone, in pain,  _ afraid _ .

* * *

He slips in and out of consciousness, though he’s not quite sure how long it's been. His only source of time is currently sitting in a pile of glass and metal a few steps down. The sun is still out, though, so it’s only been an hour at the absolute latest.

Gritting his teeth, he tries to sit up yet again - he’s not weak, he’s fine, everything is fine- but something physically shifts inside and suddenly it’s harder to breathe, and his shoulder is one fire. 

Tears manage to slip out of the corner of his eyes, but he manages to hold back the sobs. It’s never hurt this much before and he just wants it all to be gone. But his mom is gone, his phone is broken, and his dad won’t get home for another five days.

In the silence between his broken cries, he hears a purring engine pull up to his driveway, then park. His heart leaps in his chest. Maybe his mom forgot something? He could ask her to call a doctor or something. Or maybe his father is back early, or-

There’s a knock at the door. He’s so close, he’s  _ right there _ , but even the act of moving his head causes stars to swirl around his vision. 

“Prompto?”

His heart leaps into his throat. Noctis, that’s  _ Noctis _ . Of course Noctis would get worried if he got a call that ended so abruptly. He tries to call for him to come in, but his lungs feel like they’re on fire and he can barely let out a whisper.

Noctis knocks again. “Prompto are you in there?” There’s panic edging in on the prince’s voice, and he feels guilty for having put it there. He honestly would be fine if Noctis hadn’t come, he would have figured something out, he shouldn’t have called-

The doorknob turns, then the door swings open. “Hello? Prompto? Are you-” As the prince steps through, his head swivels from side to side and catches sight of the blond crumbled against the wall. “Oh my gods, Prompto!”

Then Noctis is at his side, touching the side of his head gingerly. “Where does it hurt?”

Prompto imagines laughing off the pain and trying to say something witty, but he’s so tired, in so much pain, that he barely registers the question. “M-my head, shoulder, and - ngh, and my chest.”

“Shit,” Noctis swears, jumping to his feet. He hears Noctis talking, but the pain from speaking wiped his energy and he teeters on the edge of unconsciousness. 

“Hey, hey Prompto, I need you to stay awake until the ambulance gets here,” the prince says, leaning over him again. “I-if it helps, I can keep talking? You just gotta stay up cuz you hit your head pretty hard.”

“I’hur’s,” he murmurs back. He shouldn’t be worrying Noctis this much, he can see the concern creasing the prince’s brow, but he’s just…  _ done _ .

A gentle hand brushes his hair off his forehead, and he closes his eyes to relish the sensation. 

“No, no Prom, you’ve got to stay up, okay?” Noctis’ voice pitches up in concern and immediately, he peeled his eyes back open.

“S’rry,” he murmured.

* * *

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed before the ambulance around, but Noctis quickly stepped back as the EMTs quickly went through their checklist.

He was wheeled out on a gurney, swaddled, strapped down, and braced. They’re not sure if anything’s broken, but they suspect a couple busted ribs and a broken collarbone. Plus a dislocated shoulder and a concussion.

Overall, he’s taken quite a beating. But now that he’s laying down, strapped down, the pain mitigates, just a little. 

Once the paramedics determine he’s not in danger of dying, Noctis sits at his head, playing absentmindedly with strands of Prompto’s hair. “So I guess you’re not going on the field trip after all, huh?” Noctis asks with a wry grin.

Oh yeah.

He blinks past whatever painkiller was currently making him feel this loopy. “I… I asked… I asked my mom.”

“Oh, she came back?”

“Kinda,” Prompto replied. “She’s gone for another two weeks.”

Noctis is silent, so the blond tries to look up at him. Between the neck brace and the strap across his forehead, it’s hard to see. Plus, he’s upside down. 

“But it’s fine, I don’t mind,” he hurries to assure his friend. “I’m not home that much either.”

Noctis huffs something under his breath that Prompto doesn’t quite catch, then looks back at him with a smile. “Yeah, that’s good at least."

* * *

Ignis taps his foot impatiently, but the call goes to voicemail. Not that he expected anything else. “Hello, Mrs. Argentum. My name is Ignis Scientia, Advisor to Prince Noctis, and friend of your son. I am calling in regards to an accident he sustained earlier today. They need a guardian’s consent for certain procedures, so either you or your husband will need to get in contact with the hospital. I am willing to be the middle man in this operation, so please call me back when you get this message.”

He slides the phone back into his pocket with an annoyed  _ tsk _ . Then there’s a knock on the hospital room door, and the nurse wheel Prompto in from getting x-rays. 

“Good news,” she says, “doesn’t seem to be any issues that require emergency surgery. Fractured two ribs and sprained his leg. The broken collarbone will be a bit more of an issue, but once we get parental consent, we can get to work!” She says cheerily. As she turns to leave, Ignis catches a glimpse of her face falling, and a mild panic grips his chest.

“I’ll be right back,” he murmurs to a sleepy Prompto before following the nurse out into the hallway. She glances back as he strides to catch up with her. “I’m sorry, ma’am, I just have a few questions.”

“Oh, of course.” 

“Is there anything abnormal about Prompto’s results? You seemed… concerned.”

The nurse sighed. “I cannot release details of any minor’s information without parental consent. But… you’re well acquainted with him, yes?” She waits for Ignis’ nod. “Has he been involved in any high-impact sports? Football, rugby, the like?”

Ignis blinks. “I believe he only runs. Am I to understand...”

“That’s what I thought. Thank you. I must confer with the doctor, then we will decide how to proceed from there.”

“After a certain amount of time with no contact, surely you’ll have to open a case of negligence?”

“I’m afraid I cannot release any details about a minor’s case without parental consent, but it does seem you know the regulations, and we will be following those very closely.”

Ignis nods and turns back to Prompto’s hospital room, anger boiling under his skin. He was well aware that the blond’s parents were rarely around, but how had he not noticed physical abuse? What kind of friend was he?”

* * *

Two weeks later, under Ignis’ guardianship, Prompto is wheeled out the front door of the hospital. Noctis is chatting about all the homework he’s missed, arm resting on the blond’s shoulder as if afraid if he lets go, Prompto will disappear.

“You cold?” The prince asks.

“I-I’m fine, it’s no big-”

Ignis brings the wheelchair to a stop, unbuttons his cardigan and drapes it over Prompto before the blond can even get another word out. “Issue solved.”

Prompto reddens slightly, burrowing into the chair. “Thanks,” he murmurs. Then he glances back at the two of them, “A-are we going back to my house, or-”

“We are going back there to gather your things, then you will be moving in temporarily with His Highness until there’s a thorough investigation.”

“I-I told you, it wasn’t her fault, I got in the way-”

“And an investigation will resolve the issue,” Ignis butts in. “For the time being, you cannot live on your own.”

“Oh. Okay.”

With that, Prompto lets himself be helped into the car.

**Author's Note:**

> Also I know I gotta finish the next chapter for the Divorce. uhhhh it's coming.


End file.
